Baghdad - Three Iraqis were ki

Istanbul  - When General David Petraeus took over as commander of US forces in Iraq 19 months ago, the country was on the brink of civil war.

More than 3,000 US soldiers had died since the invasion of March 2003 and al-Qaeda terrorists had made the western province of Anbar their regional centre of operations.

With a new strategy that included a surge of US troops, Iraqi military helpers and improved surveillance, Petraeus was able to change the picture.

But for his successor, General Raymond Odierno, who on Tuesday took charge of the 146,000 US troops in Iraq, a lot of problems remain.

Baghdad - Iraqi police arrested eight suspects on Tuesday in search of accomplices of a female suicide bomber who killed 22 people, security sources said.

The bomber blew herself up Monday amidst a crowd near a police station in Balad Ruz in Diyala province, 57 kilometres north-east of Baghdad, the Voices of Iraq (VOI) news agency reported.

Eleven policemen were among the 22 fatalities. Thirty-three civilians were injured in the attack.

According to a report by the Monitor of Constitutional Freedom and Bill of Rights, a Baghdad-based group, women embittered by the loss of their husbands and children in acts of violence are potential suicide bombers.

Washington - General Raymond Odierno begins his third stint in Iraq on Tuesday, when he takes over command of US forces there, hoping to build on the successes that have been gained under the troop surge.

Odierno has been credited with implementing the new strategy ordered by President George W Bush in January 2007, while serving as the deputy commander to General David Petraeus.

Petraeus is leaving the position to become the head of US Central Command, which runs military operations in the Middle East and South Asia, including Afghanistan.

Baghdad - Car bombs killed 12 people in Baghdad on Monday as US Defence Secretary Robert Gates arrived in the Iraqi capital on the eve of a change in command of the US-led forces.

Some 32 people were injured in the twin blasts, which occured near a family law court in the downtown area of al-Karada.

They happened as US General David Petraeus was spending his last day in Iraq as commander of the Multi-Lateral Iraq force.

Baghdad - US Defence Secretary Robert Gates arrived in the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Monday on the eve of a shift in command of the US-led forces.

US General David Petraeus is spending his last day in Iraq on Monday as commander of US-led forces.

In a ceremony that will be held today, and attended by Gates, Petraeus will hand command to his former deputy Lieutenant-General Ray Odierno.

Odierno served as Petraeus right hand for 15 months until February. He will be promoted to full general on Tuesday.